Toyota 4Runner: Why I love my 2nd Gen.

Funny to think my 94' 4Runner is becoming an old Toyota truck and I love old Toyota trucks. It's like a fine wine - It gets better with age! This is a quick review of the 2nd gen Toyota 4Runner with pro's and con's and some specs sprinkled about. I hope you enjoy my video and maybe even learn something new!

[@jakelittle9460]

"its not fast, but it feels fast, and thats fun" truer words have never been said.

[@wayneszalay8485]

It's more fun to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.

[@da_garage383]

That's the truth!

[@rasbe420]

Good way of putting it 😎

[@bordercollieinachallenger3933]

Purchased my 95 4Runner in January of 2023 with a blown head gasket. I wanted a project car to work on. Spent all spring and summer rebuilding it and still have things I need to do with it. The front CV axles need new boots and some features in the interior need some loving care. The reason why I bought this particular one is that it only had 118,000 miles and NO RUST. I'm driving it as my daily and I love it. (so does my border collie)

[@robbymccool7213]

Just picked up a 92 with 115k miles. Loving it as well

[@reeksreeks3017]

We bought one at that time and I have one now. Fun to drive. Power of a 4 cylinder and mpg of a v-8

[@cirruscloud7164]

I have a 95 4runner and love it also. Absolutely agree with you for the common issues, which it has not so powerful engine with the poor head gasket quality. The good news is that the original head gaskets can be replaced with better quality ones which made in later days. I would say even the car with over 200k miles, its engine still considered a baby in its life.

[@robormiston2841]

I bought a 93 4 Runner and it must have some good gears in it because it's kinda fast. I have to let off the gas alot to not spin my 35 inch tires. I do have the 5 speed so that helps. I love it. It's so much fun to drive. Gears help alot, they make it fun and safer to drive.

[@ethanfata5974]

I have a 93’ with 53k original miles 3.0 and am taking good care of it

[@Kai_Keller02]

Getting mine this weekend for $200 from a friend and im replacing the clutch what a fuckin steal

[@da_garage383]

$200 and it just needs a clutch? That IS a steal. Good job!

[@yamatomusashi1412]

Yea, manual transmission are best👍

[@H.A..]

Nice truck! I just serviced my 3VZE with 505,000 kms on it and she runs just like new. I had the machine shop check the head for any warping or issue and they reported zero problems with it, mind you I had 'em resurface it anyway. Take care of that engine and it will take care of you, the head gasket is actually pretty reliable if you don't live in a overly hot climate and don't rev your engine in the 4-6k range frequently.

[@da_garage383]

Wow that's a ton of kms on the odo! Though I shouldn't be too surprised because these rigs tend to go forever. Right, I rarely shift past 4k rpm. Under normal daily driving I tend to shift at 2.7k rpm. Never had an issue with the heads nor did the previous owner that put the first 200k miles on it.

[@peraspera6559]

Извините за русский, но машина любит скорость, за 160км/ч идёт легко и крутить ее до 6000 оборотов - запросто! Моя прошла 450000, и двигатель хорошо себя чувствует. Рама и кузов ржавые только 😭 Такую бы новую и хватит до конца жизни 😁

[@lKingRichardl]

Nice to see someone upload a vid whose owned the 4runner for a fairly long time. You see a lot of 'just bought a...' or 'my one year review' but those owners can't say as much as this guy.

[@poshhippie6446]

I just found a 93 with 160k miles. Some girl was selling her dad's car and didn't know is wasn't spelled "forerunner" I talked her down to $3600 and it had been garaged it's hole life. Needless to say, it's sat a lot over the years so I had to pull a rat nest out of the intake, clean the fuel system and replace the cracked intake hoses, but it feels amazing to ride around in such a well preserved piece of history

[@da_garage383]

That's awesome! What a cool find. Take care of it and it'll go forever.

[@isaipineda6664]

I just got a 92 with 145k miles on it everything original, flawless and garage kept, was thinking about selling it but every time i drive it the more i wanna keep it

[@da_garage383]

Don't sell it. At least not yet. That's low miles for one of these 2nd gens. It'll keep serving you for years to come if you keep it. Mine is getting close to 280k miles now and it runs flawlessly. They're also going up in value.

[@2081calin]

I have a 95 4runner 4 x 4 with a manual transmission , these SUVs are so reliable I Take mine off-road at least two times a month , it hasn’t let me down, it just keeps running

[@da_garage383]

Absolutely. I have 275k miles on mine now and I still trust it to take me anywhere I want to go. I've been out in some pretty remote areas and has never let me down.

[@billchesser1475]

In November 1989 I bought a new 5 speed manual second generation 4Runner. 420K miles later I was rear ended and the insurance company totaled it. I should have fought them harder. I never had any engine problems. It’s a real SUV, not a sports car. It’s like buying a truck and complaining it drives like a truck.

[@cameronnorton5898]

Pretty sweet video nice work

[@drewdowns7128]

used to have a 94, loved it to death. i just got a 95 to work on, but no sunroof. still love it

[@da_garage383]

Yeah, these rigs are great. I don't ever want to get rid of mine.

[@Thefishingplumber]

I have a 1996 338k miles sr5 bought it w a cylinder 4 misfire I fixed the wires n spark plugs n old injectors working smooth as a lawn mower

[@graphene1487]

thanks for the vid. My 1995 is still going strong. The interiors are rock solid...less the cracked dash.

[@da_garage383]

Right! I have over 276k miles on my Runner at the moment, you look inside and it's in good shape especially with all those miles and years on it... Then you see that cracked dash. I wish I could have garaged my 4Runner.

[@josebordonesmarre3225]

man, my 1990´s 4runner with 3L diesel´s engine is really slow, but always getme back home. Nice video, Greetings from Chile

[@da_garage383]

Thank you! Sounds like every engine variation they made for the 4R 2nd gens are terribly slow. At least they go forever!

[@reeksreeks3017]

There are swaps out there. Including the diesel swaps.

[@maxminervini5894]

I got a 2005 v8 greatest first car I’ve ever gotten. So far I’ve supercharged her and gotten 35s under it basically the most fun car I’ve ever driven

[@Riles.Media_]

Currently rebuilding the top end of my v6. It’s been an absolute nightmare to take apart but she’ll be one heck of a daily.

[@da_garage383]

Oof. I wish the best of luck for you! The most I've had to do for mine was replace the knock sensor and I hope I never have to do that again. That sensor is in the bottom of the V so a ton of the top end had to come off. Then reconnecting the billion vacuum lines... Make sure you label all your lines or you'll forget what goes where. It's awful. But besides that it's been an awesome daily driver.

[@zbynekcodykolacek]

I have 96, 6V 3.4L. The beast

[@Fotenks]

I miss my 2nd gen, she ran like clockwork til 275,000 miles when I hit a deer at 80mph totaling her.

[@da_garage383]

Ah, that's terrible ): I actually have nightmares about something bad like that happening to my 4Runner, so I'm sorry to hear that. Would you buy another one?

[@Dilomski]

I love my 91 4runner. I know how you feel about it :)

[@leoszilard3998]

The 3VZE got a bad rap for the head gasket problem,I own a 1991 with the 3.0L 3vze and owned it from new,Its just my winter vehicle now but here is what I learned and why I did not have the problem of the head gasket after 363K miles.I always ran castrol syntec oil and the toyota oem filters.I blocked the egr by brazing the holes in the tube into the intake closed.Ran waterless (Evans)coolant from the start at 5,000 miles on the vehicle.Also drilled 5 or 6 1/8" holes in the outer plate of the thermostat.And from about 25K miles installed a 3" in diameter marine blower (150cfm) to force air down across the crossover exhaust behind the motor,Used a 180 deg F thermal switch in series with the power lead to the fan,And placed the thermal switch onto the tube that is connected to the egr and comes from the exhaust manifold,Even though its blocked at the tube at the intake it still gets hot from heat conduction.Also use low resistance plug wires,Around 1K ohm per foot and open face spark plugs bosch platinum 2 or 4.And replaced the radiator at around 100k miles with a 3 core all aluminum radiator.Water is one of the worst liquids inside a aluminum head engine,It is corrosive,It has hydrogen bonding(Resistive barrier),It builds up lots of pressure in the water galleries(Passages),100's of psi at this point before it gets to the 16psi radiator cap.The water assimilates galvanic (Pitting)reactions in aluminum.Formicary corrosion is possible when organic material are present with water.When you see a head gasket from one of these engines that has the problem look under the gasket in the cylinder that has the vapor lock,The material is pitted.And the most important reason is the waters heat entropy chart.Water is not taking on much more heat after 180 deg F,Its starting to (steam)evaporate,Giving up heat,Even under pressure.Look at the chart for water vs heat its a bell(Parabola)curve.Hope this clears all the ambiguity on this engine to all who sees this.Its a great engine.Automatic Transmission,Transfer case and drive train.BMW,Audi,Merc benz,Volvo all use antifreeze that has very little water.For what I can find is its under 5% water and blue in color.Look at this video at 7:30 kzbin.info/www/bejne/boSYnKpjh8t4ja-f,Look at the water galleries all clogged up from water's impurities,Reaction with aluminum's impurities and the break down redox of standard anti-freeze corrosion and anti foaming/cavitation inhibitor agents.

[@tonyisme4934]

I would say why not run Toy Red Long Life 60% coolant 40% distilled? And change each 50 k miles? Or 40K miles? And conventional motor oil with elevated zinc, at least 1100ppm

[@tonyisme4934]

❤ I'm still using my 34-year-old 3 core brass radiator from Japan. I have a manual transmission so part of the radiator is not used... and it is very important the cowling be used around the radiator and not cracked, and the fan clutch be firm and working for the nylon fan

[@FalanaCaraAutomotivo]

I love this car too. In Brazil they came with Hilux SW4 name and has two specs: 2.4L(same in there) and 2.8L (3L) both are diesel engines. I have 1993 Hilux SW4 with a 2.8L (3L), 4 cylinders diesel engine. 5 strokes, rear diferencial 9x41 and a 19kg of torque but only 79whp (so slow), but I put turbo with intercooler and chande my cooler system and voilà, we calculate 40% plus of torque and plus 30whp. The car is another car after upgrades. Here they called "indestructible". I really love this car!!

[@da_garage383]

That's awesome. I'm kinda jealous! I wish we got the diesel powerplant over here in the States. The most common engine for these 2nd gens here is the 3.0L V-6. The 3VZ. It's also underpowered and slow, but I'd rather have a slow diesel engine since diesels tend to be more robust.

[@FalanaCaraAutomotivo]

@@da_garage383 me too. The 93 LN130 came imported from Japan, and 1995 too, both are 2.8 (3L). Only in 1997 that Brazil could produce the Hilux SW4 (is the same 3nd generation for you). In my research Hilux Surf 1993 (2nd generation like ours) have the best Toyota diesel engine ever produce (in my opinion), the 1KZT-E - 4 cylinders 3.0 turbo engine, who in some countries came with intercooler. I think I saw some links in USA for Hilux Surf 1993 for sale with this engine. For me is the best Hilux created! Here only came in 97.

[@Stormtrooper_98Trd]

Just bought a 95 4runner today!

[@da_garage383]

Heck yeah! You're gonna love it.

[@Stormtrooper_98Trd]

@@da_garage383 you're right I do absolutely love it!!

[@markblackstock6887]

Could you share the link to the back window decal been looking for it and we have the exact same mine was finished in 6/95 gold badge though

[@da_garage383]

I have a few of them back there - which decal?

[@markblackstock6887]

The flag full glass one

[@da_garage383]

@@markblackstock6887 The one I got was discontinued so I don't have an active link for it. Sorry man.

[@michaelhelgeson6625]

Do you know anything about fixing the rear window switch?? I just bought a ‘91 today and it works with the key from the outside but the switch is a no go. Have you had a similar experience or any knowledge on the subject?? Thanks for your time Amigo.. 🤓

[@da_garage383]

Unfortunately I'm dealing with the same problem. However my back window operation is very strange. It works up or down when it's cold, but won't roll down when it's hot. Odd... If you're on facebook it might be worth joining the 2nd gen 4Runner mafia group. There's some knowledgeable people on there that may guide you in the right direction.

[@michaelhelgeson6625]

You da man 😎

[@reeksreeks3017]

@@da_garage383 and this my friend would be the ONLY reason I would consider joining Facebook.

[@rapygumas1655]

I have a same 4runner like you (Toyota Surf in Asia). Have you ever change the radiator with new one?? If Yes, Can I get the link for buy the new one (radiator). Tq bro..🙏

[@da_garage383]

Hey, thanks for the comment. I haven't changed the radiator in mine. You're having trouble finding a new one?

[@rapygumas1655]

Yups sir.. I don’t know exactly the tipe of radiator😢

[@tonyisme4934]

Brass 3 core radiator

[@Zapp760]

Just got an SR5 93 4runner 4x4 automatic fully loaded 244k miles for $3,400. Which is a steal imo, it runs like a beast and ALL electrical works .I'm going to give it some tlc and trick it out soon. Anyone know of any good websites to buy things for this car.

[@brandonzook9850]

Where did you get the US flag? been wanting one!

[@da_garage383]

I got mine off of etsy.com over a year ago. It appears they no longer sell them for the 2nd gens on that site. You might be able to find them elsewhere, but I'm not sure.

[@andrewb.2280]

I was looking at a 1994 v6 with 168k a year or so ago. Wanted too much though.

[@da_garage383]

Pretty low miles for a 4Runner. What was the asking price? If you don't mind me asking.

[@andrewb.2280]

@@da_garage383 I can’t remember. But less than they are going for now.

[@theelder91]

@@da_garage383 i have a 93 4runner....original owner...bought it new.....oh it's a 3.0 4x4

[@yamatomusashi1412]

theelder91 how much was it brand new? I have 91 4runner v6 manual. Bought it in 96 from original owner for $15,000. So had it now for 25 yrs n still going.

[@theelder91]

@@yamatomusashi1412 i believed back in 93 it was like $18,000. its in my garage now...lol...i will soon replace the old parts with new parts and convert my a/c from r12 to 134a...

[@spiritofhalloween9537]

I have 94 with the auto, omg is that thing slow. Its so slow I tthought i wouldnt make it up the hill on the interstate, but I must ask. Ive never driven a standard before as a daily and I am wonderinng how forgiving this is for stalling and how easy it is to drive

[@da_garage383]

Unfortunately they're all overweight and underpowered. The manual is going to be slightly faster but not enough to notice. When pulling steep grades in my 4Runner I'd have to down shift into 3rd and I could only pull up around 40mph while everyone else is going 60 or 70. I found my manual to be easy to drive otherwise.

[@tonyisme4934]

Running OEM Toyota plug wires, in Denso plugs, and 5sp tranny, and no Cat, and oem denso O2 sensor it will get up the freeway hill 60mph or better. Also I like Pentius air filter...better flow than oem

[@arthursaiadian4]

Over the 10+ years that you’ve had it, how much money have you poured into it?

[@da_garage383]

I was actually thinking about doing a video about long term ownership of my Runner. Besides normal maintenance items such as oils, filters, belts etc... The cost has been very low. The only unexpected costs have been the knock sensor went bad. A brake piston on the front right brake caliper went bad. The cv axle boots tore, ejecting all their grease, then they got dried out, started clunking and needed to be replaced. The drive shaft yoke got dried out, got loose and started clunking too, so I replaced that. My dad and I did the work to fix those items, so not going to a shop saved a ton of money. Because of that, unexpected costs have been quite low. Around $500. Now if you add up all the usual maintenance costs as well, over the years it's added up to several thousand dollars. But, that's over the course of more than a decade.

[@TndPnyRCofficial]

Yea my 2WD only 2nd Gen with the same engine and with the A340E and I hate it as far as performance. But I still love driving it

[@da_garage383]

Right, especially when entering high speed roads or freeways I get frustrated with it's abysmal performance, yet I still enjoy driving it.

[@TndPnyRCofficial]

It’s a love/hate relationship. It’s terrible to drive yet it makes me smile everytime I turn it on. It gets me from A-B with no issues. I never had any major head gasket issues with it. I even do food delivery in it too

[@da_garage383]

@@TndPnyRCofficial I think one of the reasons we love these Runners is that they just simply work. No frills or excitement really, but they just go whenever you want.

[@TndPnyRCofficial]

@@da_garage383 EXACTLY

[@camposvazquez]

Imagine if you had a 3rd gen 4runner.... You would marry it.. 3rd gen 4Runner... The last great 4runner

[@da_garage383]

Yeah, I do like the 3rd gens as well. Someday I'd like to have a 1st gen, my 2nd gen and a 3rd gen.

[@camposvazquez]

@@da_garage383 3rd gen.... The last great 4runner

[@FirstnameLastname-vy2dg]

@@camposvazquez You own a 4th or 5th gen?

[@camposvazquez]

@@FirstnameLastname-vy2dg 3rd gen 5sp mt 4x4... Hoping to add an E-locker this year

[@KevinPDunn]

2nd gen last gen with a tailgate like a real truck. Lift gate/hatch is lame.

[@Shredmeista]

Manual looks like so much fun! I used to have a 1990 2wd 22re with an auto trans. Automatic sucks ass.

[@da_garage383]

Oof. I can imagine how underpowered it must have felt. A 22re with an automatic. At least 2wd sheds a little bit of weight, though I'm sure that's not noticeable. Yeah, the manual is the way to go. The 3vz is also slow, but at least you can work the gears however you want.

[@alessandropaltrinieri5954]

in italy whe got 3vze, 2lte(2.4) and 1kzte(3.0)

[@danielhorn6558]

Nothing Wrong with the engine...22RE has its own issues..just flush coolant regularly..change the oil every 3K...and don't dog the shit out of it...you're going to have a head-gasket let go every 200K just because of the the cross over pipe...

[@bongothaplant4730]

I dog the shit out of mine, been like 35k since i bought it. I bought it at 249k and had the total expectation that it would blow. But nope, i do exactly that, take care of problems early, do maintenance more often than needed and it will reward you. I totally planned on the engine blowing and i would have a blast swapping something new into it but nope, it just wont die.

[@antoniomadera4355]

How did you launch in 2nd??

[@da_garage383]

I launched in 4low. The gearing is much lower in the low range - you can start from a stop in 3rd or 4th gear too. It shouldn't be done often though. I did it just for the sake of the video but it's hard on your driveline parts, axles, transfer case etc.

[@GacktMak]

Sleep inside for more than 9months, nice

[@chachacheng9380]

Why not the 3 generation 4 runner ?

[@da_garage383]

I can make a video on the 3rd gen in the future. Perhaps I'll do a video on each generation.

[@timothy7497]

It's my second bedroom on the road or off.

[@billymunroe-williamson8840]

Don’t drive fast in four low unless you want to buy a new transfer case

[@Henry-rq5sj]

Can you find parts easily?

[@da_garage383]

In my experience, yes parts have been easy to get. They'll probably remain easy to get for a long time since these 4Runners were common.

[@michaelfrye4663]

I don't understand why they didn't put inline six in these

[@da_garage383]

I think an inline six would have been better but a V6 was used because they're more compact and the engine bay is already pretty small.

[@Joeblow__]

Always have the same reaction pulling into traffic😭😭😭

[@KevinPDunn]

You put only 75k on it in 12 years?

[@da_garage383]

Yes. When I first got it I was racking up a ton of miles on it. I decided I didn't want to use it as a commuter and got something more gas friendly for weekdays. The 4Runner became my weekend vehicle so it didn't get a whole lot of miles added to it.

[@KevinPDunn]

@@da_garage383 same here. 2015 Camry for daily, 94 5-speed for weekends and camping trips

[@bob-o9865]

I want one! Just gotta justify to the wifey why .

[@levimonsen1006]

I have a 400k second gen😏

[@da_garage383]

Wow! That's insane! Which engine do you have in it? Several years ago I had an 89' Toyota Pickup with the 22re in it. I bought it with 406k miles on it and it was perfect. It was a great little truck and only sold it to get a newer Civic.

[@levimonsen1006]

@@da_garage383 it’s the 3vze. Previous owner took amazing care of it. Bought it off the original owner, and the day I got it it died and would never start again. Spent three weeks diagnosing and found computer had completely died with basically no obvious faults. Rebuilt original computer and spent last four weeks pulling trans and transfer case along with all attached parts and front differential. Cleaned all the oil leakage, resealed both oil pans, (inside of engine looked amazing) did a new rear main seal and resealed crank housing and did new clutch along with oil change, all new filters everywhere and a bunch of other maintenance. As of today it’s all back together and she runs amazing. Gonna daily it for a little while before I hand it off to my brother.

[@da_garage383]

@@levimonsen1006 That's a lot of work, but it's probably going to go for another hundred thousand miles now. I hope when your brother gets it he takes as good care of it as you have!

[@yamatomusashi1412]

4 lo, and in second gear is fastest?!? Really?

[@da_garage383]

It feels quick, but it's not. There's no gear in this that's actually fast.

[@yamatomusashi1412]

I thought 4 lo gear is for crawling off road and is really slow. Rili didn’t knw fastest speed would be achieved in 4wd low range gear. I have a 91 4runner manual trans same as yours. 👍

[@da_garage383]

@@yamatomusashi1412 You're right - it's supposed to be slow crawling gears, but if you start in 4 lo 2nd, you can launch quick and bang through the gears. Yep, manual trans is the way to go!

[@robclayton1446]

Looking at buying a 92 v6 this weekend it’s an automatic pretty clean and been well maintained.. would you suggest it to tow a 16’ boat?

[@da_garage383]

@@robclayton1446 These 4Runner can tow a decent amount but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them specifically as a towing vehicle. It can be done, but you'll notice acceleration is much slower and it's putting more wear on that auto trans. Also the brakes are adequate for the 4Runner by itself, but with a trailer I wish they were a bit stronger.

[@mikehoff1595]

Mine is faster

[@da_garage383]

I bet. Almost every vehicle is faster than my reliable turd. One day with a 1uz swap It won't be quite as slow.

[@eddieace345]

I have the chance to trade my motorcycle for one but I’m torn 😂 I already have a 5th gen but no 4WD

[@da_garage383]

You gotta have 4wheel drive! That's a tough choice though. I also have a motorcycle that I enjoy and I'm not sure if I'd be willing to trade it. Hmmm...